


I Have No Excuse

by BrightDarkness_2013



Series: Nothing But Water [1]
Category: Transformers - All Media Types
Genre: Merformers, Mers, Transformers - Freeform
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-11-02
Updated: 2016-11-10
Packaged: 2018-08-28 15:35:36
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 12,532
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8451943
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BrightDarkness_2013/pseuds/BrightDarkness_2013
Summary: He hadn't heard a thing over the wind and music pounding out of his headphones, but the splash of color that didn't belong out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. He paused and squinted. Black and white with a few splashes of red. It didn't appear to be moving. From what he could tell it appeared to be hurt. Great. Now he had to call the rangers. The MWPA or Marine Wildlife Protection Agency.





	1. Three am idea I had to write down

**Author's Note:**

> As the title says I have no excuse. I couldn't sleep and it was three am ok? Just try and enjoy. I rushed to get this down so I wouldn't forget. I'll write with better detail and what not next chapter.

Jazz lived like he would live forever. Like nothing bad could ever happen to him. He had no problem with bending and breaking rules. No real reason to worry about anything. A prank here and there was no problem. Homework not done? As long as he was passing it didn't matter too much to him. He did fine on the tests anyway. Speeding ticket? Well they'd have to catch him first and he knew from experience that if he kept driving and got home, so long as his parents weren't there, he could could get away with it by just not answering the door and making sure the car was locked up in the garage. They couldn't snoop and they'd get bored of knocking eventually. It was pretty easy to ignore them with music blaring in the background while he played video games. Arrive late to work? The managers and other employees liked him and with a smile and an apology and he usually got off. If he did get fired well it was a part time job and people were always coming and going in those places. He could always get another. Yes things were lined up just fine as far as he was concerned. The pestering about what he was going to do after high school was always a pressure he had no issue ignoring. It didn't really matter yet. He had a little over another year to go to figure that out.

His walk along the pier on his way home had been rather typical besides the threat of rain and wind. He had his collar raised up to his nose as the wind batted at him. Bringing droplets of seawater hitting him from his right. He hadn't heard a thing over the wind and music pounding out of his headphones, but the splash of color that didn't belong out of the corner of his eye caught his attention. He glanced at it then did a double take. Out in the water on one of the rocks was a figure. Water crashed against the rock and washed over the figure. He paused and squinted. Black and white with a few splashes of red. It didn't appear to be moving. It took him several minutes to realize that it was a mer. Grabbing his phone from his pocket he pulled up his camera to zoom in and get a better look.

Walked back the way he came to see around the high edges of the creatures resting spot he struggled to get a good view. It was blurry, but from what he could tell it appeared to be hurt. Great. Now he had to call the rangers. The MWPA or Marine Wildlife Protection Agency. Were a great group and all, but damn did the rangers get touchy. You'd think they were cops from the way they interrogated and lectured people. Then again he could always call the cops and let Them deal with the rangers. With a sigh he paced back and forth as he cast glances at the mer as he waited for them to pick up. It still hadn't moved. No sign of any others in the area either. No other mers circling and guarding from what he could see.

"Hello? West end police department, is this an emergency?"

"Uh, yeah. There's this mer down here by the pier. I think it's hurt."

Dealing with the cops and all of their questions was never that fun either. The rangers at least just asked for a location and came. No twenty questions, but the lectures on marine life when they got there were just as bad. Jazz decided to hang up after they asked about it's condition and if it was acting aggressive. They were just wasting everyone's time. He watched the still mer for another few minutes before the tell tale sirens in the distance told him they decided to act. So he left things how they were. It wasn't like he could do anything for it.

It was a couple of months later before he even thought about the mer again. The complaints of fishermens traps being raided and the gossip that followed was what got him heading down to the pier again. The mer wasn't there. Not that he had expected it to be on the rock again. He snooped around where he knew the traps for fish and crabs were laid. Surely Danny or Blaster as he was called by his friends was the stepson of one of the fishermen. He was a nice guy, but had spats with MWPA every once in awhile, but he doubted he'd care if Jazz pestered his traps. The traps were being raided and the only evidence that there had been anything there was the scratch marks on the traps and a few scraps. So he watched and waited. Walking and occasionally checking the traps. There was nothing for several hours. Then as the sun sank one of the ropes holding the traps moved. Just a twitch. Then it shifted more. Jazz, not wanting to waste the opportunity peered into the inky water. He couldn't see a thing so he tugged on it not expecting to get a forceful tug back.

It was cold and dark. Water rushing around him. He pushed off the bottom, the water tugging at him, and something brushing against him he broke the surface. Wasting no time he clawed at the side. Water beating against him and making it difficult to pull himself out. He rolled onto the dock with his heart pounding. Well now he knew it was there and they hadn't caught it.

444444444444444444 cause why not fours for a line break?444444444444444444

Jazz fell onto his bed heavily. Steam raising from his skin after the burning shower he'd used to warm back up. During said shower he had come to the conclusion that the mer was stealing from the traps. It was hurt and the cops had either decided not to call the rangers and lost it or it had avoided the rangers and they had assumed it left the area. So now the things was taking from the traps since it couldn't hunt due to its injuries. A quick search told him mers usually ate early in the morning and late at night like a lot of marine life. So the next morning with some day old sushi that his sister had gotten and never finished he went back to the pier.

The water was much clearer with the sun. It didn't take long for him to spot it. It didn't blend at all against the the rocks and warm looking sand. The light blue the water gave off didn't help much either. Not with the natural red edge at the end of its tail. It was still. Not a fin twitching. The wing fins were held stiffly against its back. It simple was watching him with a careful and even mildly irritated stare. Like it was trying to determine what Jazz's intentions were. It's body was lined with cuts and wounds. One of its wing fins were torn and the long fin that traced down to its tail appeared to be broken judging by the way it was bent. Still no sign of a pod.

"What happened to ya? Looks like you picked a fight with something ya shouldn't have." Jazz settled on his stomach as he leaned over the side. The mer didn't even twitch. "I guess you can't hunt like that, but ya can't keep stealing. You're really starting to piss some people off and they might just start trying to hurt ya despite the MWPA. So I guess since they're too incompetent to catch ya I'll have to feed ya until you can leave. I don't have much, but I'll start getting more."

Jazz opened the box and threw one of the pieces toward it. It didn't move.

"Oh come on. I know it's not great, but it's something. Look. There's hardly anything in the trap today anyway. What even is that? It's Tiny."

Not even a twitch.

"Fine. Spoiled brat. But don't come crying saying you're hungry later." Dumping the boxes contents into the water he stood. "I'll see ya tonight."

With that he left.


	2. A Cleaner Chapter

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Jazz feeds it and argues with it. Pretty much it.

“Ya know I hope ya appreciate what I’m doing. Ya have no idea how much I hate being wet and after ya pulled me into the ocean the other night I’m a little irritated with You as well. I have some fresh sushi this time. It’s not as cheap so ya had better eat this. I don’t want to be wasting my money.”  
I stared into the inky water for any sign of movement as I tossed in one of the pieces. This was twenty bucks worth I had and if it stuck its nose up at this I was going to be pissed.  
“I know you’re there. I’m not going to hurt ya. I can barely swim and the worst thing I could do from here is litter.”  
Still nothing. Well I could wait. I was not going to let this fish get one over me.  
“That one's tuna ya brat. It’s good. I’ve had it.”  
The water was still. Maybe it had left the area after this morning? Or maybe it just didn’t like tuna?  
“Fine. This one's salmon, but I didn’t nor will I ever have much of this because it’s so expensive it’s a rip off. It’s not even that good.” I tossed another piece into the water. It floated along the surface next to the other in silence. “I have a younger sister. I can wait all night to get my way.”  
I watched the water, lounging on my stomach lazily. Maybe I should call Blaster? Na. He was mer crazy. He’d scare it away. Maybe when it wasn’t so wary and injured. Blaster would go out on fishing trips with his stepfather all the time. He wanted to be a marine biologist. He thought the mysteries of the sea were amazing while I didn’t care to guess what was hiding below the surface. Who knew what horrors were waiting down there? I was torn out of my thoughts by one of the pieces disappearing.  
“Finally.”  
And of course it took the bloody salmon. Spoiled brat.  
“I hope ya know that if ya don’t eat all of this I’m not going to feed ya anymore and I’ll let the fishermen try and shoo ya away. And the way they’ll do it I have no doubt that it’ll involve some painful traps. They don’t like it when things mess with their catches.” I spoke to the mer under the water. Though I couldn’t see it the water churned giving me a decent idea of where it was before it settled again. From what I could tell it was right under where I was throwing the fish. “Come on. Eat the tuna or I’m not giving ya anymore.”  
Nothing. So I pulled out the other piece of salmon and dipped it into the water before pulling it back out.  
“See? Ya want it ya need to eat everything else.”  
For some reason I got the impression that I was being judged.  
“Tuna is cheap and has a lot of protein from what I know so quit pouting and eat it.”  
I sent the water an unamused stare, trying to send my message since I couldn’t tell if it could understand what I was saying. I doubted it, but that never stopped me from talking before. Then I smiled as the tuna vanished.  
“That wasn’t so hard now, was it?” I tossed another piece into the water. “But you’re not getting the salmon until you eat everything else. I’m not even sure what that one is, but it’s apparently popular.”  
Nothing happened until the piece stilled in the water and I got the glimpse of black claws. The process was slow and continued on until I was out of sashimi. I watched the water.  
“Well I have nothing more to give ya. This box here is for tomorrow. I’ll be back in the morning to feed ya.”  
The water churned as it moved under the black water.  
“Don’t steal from the traps anymore. If ya do than sure you’re gonna get hurt, but it makes Blaster’s stepdad unhappy and if he’s unhappy he doesn’t bring Blaster on his fishing trips and if he doesn’t bring Blaster then Blasters unhappy. If Blasters unhappy it’s your fault and I won’t feed ya anymore. Got it?”  
No response. Not like I was expecting one anyway. I stood.  
“I’ll know if ya start stealing. Don’t think I won’t.”  
Then I turned and headed home.  
444444444444444 Fooooouuuurrrrsssss!44444444444444  
Happy Saturday. I was getting up with the freaking sun for this fish. So out I went. Its breakfast in hand. And low and behold there it was. Curling around and between the rocks. None of the traps appeared to be bothered. Maybe it did understand. Either that or it was content with what I was giving it. I lounged back on the pier as I set the box next to me. Popping the lid I watched it.  
“Morning. Ya know I’m surprised no ones see ya yet. You don’t really blend in well.”  
It didn’t move. However when I tossed in a piece its gaze turned to the floating fish. It glanced at me a few times before it stiffly moved forward. It favored its left arm as it slipped along the bottom slowly. It settled below the dead meat. I watched with mild interest as it rose up on its tail and reached up. It stopped. Nothing happened for an extended amount of time before its claws dug into it and drug it under. It watched its ‘prey’ a moment before swiftly eating it. Well no wonder it took so long for me to feed it if it did That every time. It moved its gaze back to me and it moved back until it was once again flat against the sand. I tossed another piece in and it watched that one until it settled.  
“Quit stalking the sushi. It’s dead. It’s not going to swim away.”  
I nearly laughed when it glared at me before going back to watching its new prey. It slowly reached up and stopped again.  
“Oh for the love of- grab it! Hey! Don’t growl at me. I’m feeding ya.” I scolded it, but it cautiously reached up again like it hadn’t heard me. Then it snatched it and watched it. “I know you’re not deaf. Eat it. Do something. If you were actually prowling after something that was alive this would be much more interesting, but no. It’s dead. It’s been dead for awhile.”  
Great. I was arguing with a fish now. I sighed as it sent me another glare. I fell back on the pier with a huff. I stared up at the dull looking gray that was the sky at the moment. Then I pulled myself back up. I jumped and yanked my legs back up and away from the waters below. I stared down at the mer that appeared below me.  
“Ya know that’s Really creepy. Nothing’s supposed to move that quietly in the water.” Silence. “It doesn’t help that ya don’t move or blink.”  
It twitched an ear fin, but that was the only response I got. I sighed again before grabbing another piece. It dangled in my grasp and I contemplated a moment. Then I was slowly lowering it to touch the water. Hopefully feeding time would go by quicker if I could get it to take it from my hand.  
“I really want to get back to bed. This is Saturday. Saturday. And here I am arguing with You. A fish. I hope ya know I have plans today involving sleep, video games, and pizza with my friends.”  
It was still besides its expression settling in a glare.  
“Fine. I guess ya don’t want this.”  
I made to pull it back and it growled softly.  
“Make up your mind. Take it or I’m leaving.”  
It took it several minutes to decide to slowly reach up. Its gaze shifting from me to the sorry excuse for a fish in my hand. Then in snatched it before retreating.  
“Ya could really act more grateful. I don’t have to do this.” I muttered before doing the same with the next piece I pulled out.  
This process of handing it each piece slowly made things quicker with feeding it as it grew used to it over the course of the week. As the days passed I could tell it was healing slowly, but surely. It didn’t move as stiffly and it distributed more weight onto its right arm when it crawled along the sandy bottom. Many of the wounds were slowly shifting into pale scars along its body. It was more noticeable on the black scales. I found myself hanging around even after I was done feeding it. I just talked and it watched me until I left. However one morning it broke the cycle.  
“So Blaster and I- hey where are ya going? I was talking.”  
I jumped up as it slowly swam the length of the pier. It glanced at me as I followed it every once in awhile.  
“I know you’re a mer, but ya should know that it’s rude to just leave when someone is talking. Hey. Are ya listening?”  
I jumped down off the pier and onto the sand. It followed the shallows edge. Moving slow enough for me to keep up.  
“Where are ya even going? There’s nothing but rocks out in that direction.”  
I was trying to argue with a fish. Blaster was going to have a good laugh when I finally told him about my little secret. I hesitated at the hollow in the cliffs edge. The mer stalled before it kept going, following the shallow path of water.  
“Hey! Come on! Wait up!”  
I followed after it. Running along the slippery edge. If I fell in it wasn’t that deep anyway. The area inside was a small little cove. It pulled itself up on the center rock, its tail curling around it. I looked around the area as it watched me.  
“So this is where you’ve been hiding out, huh?”  
I sat on the rim and watched as its tail fin opened and closed lazily. It had some healing cuts in the pure white and red edged fin as well.  
“So I assume there’s a reason ya brought me home? I could only guess this means ya trust me. Either that or you’re planning to kill me. I really hope it’s the former.”  
The mer blinked its sapphire eyes slowly as it let its arms dangle over the side of the rock.  
“Ya Do blink. Well that makes ya a little less creepy.” I grinned at it and it tilted its head to the side to rest on one of its arms.


	3. Just Another Piece

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blaster comes in and Prowl eats candy.

I had started to notice that I was arriving before my mer friend to the cove at night. I would just watch the fish swirl around the center rock with the current as it rose and fell so it wasn’t too much of a problem, but then one quiet night when the water as nearly still I heard it. Out across the sea. Somewhere below the water were long and sad calls. I paused on my walk to the the cove to listen. The whistles and howls pierced the quiet night, accompanied only by the soft sound of the water hitting the shore. I frowned. Maybe I should get Blaster. I can’t bring him to the cove, but surely the pier would do. Can’t crush the mers trust now. If it wanted Blaster to know it would lead him to the cove like it led me. For now though I’d head to the cove.  
I waited for my fish friend to arrive. The wait was getting longer and longer it seemed. As expected its arrival made the trapped fish that rode the current panic when one of their own was snatched. The mer always managed to get one or two. It was quiet I’d give it that. It seemed to understand it couldn’t blend in with anything and made up for that with being quiet and still, prowling around corners and striking quick. It was amusing to watch and after they panicked and fled it would rest on the edge of the rock ledge and look at me expectantly.  
“You’ve really been making me wait lately. Just what are ya doing out there?”  
I just got a slow blink in reply.  
“Well nevermind then. I just wanted to tell you that tomorrow night I’m gonna bring a friend with me to the pier. It’s his stepfather's traps that ya were raiding before. He’ll love ya. I know he won’t do anything to harm ya so ya have nothing to worry about. I just wanted to tell ya even if ya can’t understand. That way I won’t feel guilty and if ya want to bring him to your home ya can do it of your own will. That and ya don’t have to show yourself if ya don’t feel like it.”  
I waited a second as it just watched me. Just like always.  
“Sometimes I think ya don’t care about me and just want my food. You’re like a cat that way if that’s the case.”  
I sighed and pulled the box from my bag. Setting it aside I opened the box.  
“So what do you feel like starting with tonight? I- hey hey hey! How many times do I have to tell you not to snoop around in my bag?! I mean the homework I do actually do doesn’t need to be chewed up. I mean I doubt that the teach will give me slack if I tell them a mer ate my homework? Now give me that.” I glared at the mer as I pulled my bag behind me and it huffed and sunk a little further into the water. “Now.”  
I held my hand out for the m&m packet. I had gone and zipped everything I had in plastic and some tightly sealed bags awhile back once it started getting curious. I suppose I could have just dumped my bag out at home, but I only had the one bag and then I’d have to put it all back in at like nine or ten every night and that was just too much work.  
“Give it.”  
It was just watching me as it pulled it closer.  
“I need that. Don’t growl at me. Keep growling and I’m not feeding you.”  
I crossed my arms across my chest and it cast a few glances to my stolen candy. Then it started turning it over. I lunged for it and it moved swift in ducking under the water and away from my ledge.  
“Ya don’t need candy. As far as I know it’ll kill ya.”  
It growled before going back to examining the now wet packet. The colors from the unprotected candy were leaking from the bag.  
“If ya get sick it’s not my fault.” I called as the candy fell into the shallow pool when the bag ripped.  
The colors swirled in the water and slowly began to vanish as the mer picked at the wasted candy curiously. Well I suppose this was better than the last time when it swiped my math textbook and I had to jump into the water to get it back. Trading some salmon for a textbook had gone over better than expected.  
“Don’t eat it- and ya ate it. Oh great. Now ya like chocolate? Now I can’t carry it it my bag anymore. I hope you’re happy. Pretty sure there’s a reason animals aren’t supposed to eat chocolate.”  
I sighed and put my head in my hands.  
444444444444 hors d'oeuFours! 44444444444444  
The news of a mer and my feeding it had gone over as well as it possibly could have with Blaster. First he had been mildly upset that I had hid this from him and then he had gone about asking questions and whether or not I called the MWPA. The idiots in my opinion couldn’t catch him when he could barely move there was no way they were going to catch him now. I mused as we walked down the the pier. The sad calls were slipping over the ocean once again.  
“It sounds so sad.”  
“Yeah it’s been doing that lately at night. If that isn’t a clue to the MWPA that there’s a mer out here then they really are hopeless.”  
“So there’s just one?”  
“Yep. It’s the one that’s been stealing from the traps awhile back. I’ve been feeding it so it won’t anymore. It’s pretty beat up yet.”  
“Would you quit calling them an it?”  
“What? I don’t know its gender.”  
“Well does it have a ventral fin or not?”  
“Huh?”  
“You know a fin that traces down the belly along the sternum?”  
“Uh, yeah?”  
“Then your mer is male. Females don’t have it because it would restrict the growth of their pup.”  
“Ok that’s interesting and all, but can you tell me why it’s- he’s doing… This?” I gestured out the sea.  
“Well I’d guess he’s calling to his pod, but I’m no mer expert. The classes on marine life only go so far in high school. I swear half of it is just on currents and not the actual life in the water.”  
“Oh great so for all way know he’s calling an army to come attack us.”  
“I suppose, but what’s the worst they could do in shallow water?”  
“Good point.”  
We stopped on the pier and I brought out the box and lay on my stomach to gaze at the water. I dipped my hand in and snapped and played with the water. All in all it had gotten its- his attention all the other times if I didn’t want to risk going to the cove for some reason.  
“You’ve been feeding him sashimi?”  
“And some random sushi. What else am I supposed to give him?”  
“Uh, fish?”  
“Well my parents are loaded and mom gives Nat and I a ridiculous amount of cash for an allowance. Then of course our mers a brat. Plus the fish shop it's so far away from here. Then I’d have to go all the way down the-”  
“Ok nevermind. I get it, you're a spoiled noble and the sushi shop is closer.”  
The sounds stopped and there was silence for a long while.  
“Have you named him?”  
“No. Why would I name him?”  
“So you’re not calling him ‘it’ and ‘the mer’ all the time.”  
“Huh.... We can get to that later when he starts trusting ya.”  
“How do you know when he’s here? The water’s so dark.”  
“Yeah it’s easier in the mornings, but I figured he’d be more willing to approach with you here if ya couldn’t see him. As for how we use the fish.”  
I pulled the salmon out because I knew it would entice him to approach. I held it just in the water. We waited. The water churned and twisted quietly before settling again and I could practically hear Blaster stiffen.  
“Relax he’s not gonna bite my hand off. He pulled me into the water on our first meeting and I didn’t even get a scratch. The worst he’s gonna do is splash us.”  
Then the salmon was gone. Blaster gasped.  
“And there ya have it. Here. You try.”  
“Uh…”  
“He’s not going to hurt ya. Just drop it in if ya don’t want to hand feed. The only problem with that is he freaking stalks it like it’s going to swim away and it takes forever. I’ve seen him do it in the mornings and I got so bored. So I started hand feeding.” I dipped my hand back toward the water when he didn’t take it. It disappeared a minute later. “Set your alarm for five and come down here tomorrow morning so we can have a smoother introduction. He hasn’t left yet so I’d say he doesn’t see ya as a threat.”


	4. The Fourth Chapter of My Idea From 3am

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Summary: Blaster and Jazz debate Prowl.

“That’s- He’s amazing. But… what happened to him?”  
“I have no clue. He just showed up one day bleeding and what not. So are ya going to feed him today?” I asked as our mer friend took cover around the rocks like he had with me, the sand rising to make the water look even more murky around him.  
“Yes.” He answered immediately.  
We waited as Blaster held the fish in the water. The mer didn’t so much as twitch.  
“I don’t think he trusts me like he does you.”  
“Hm… I have an idea.”  
I grinned and dug into my bag as I cast a glance at the mer.  
“A… bag of m&ms?”  
“Yep. This is your key to friendship right here.”  
“You gave him Candy?”  
“Of course not. He went snooping through my bag when I wasn’t lookin’ and well now he likes chocolate. He hasn’t gotten sick yet so what’s the harm of a little more?”  
“If you say so, but if he gets sick or something I’m calling the MWPA and blaming you.”  
“That’s fair. Now feed him.” I shook the bag, making sure our mer friend could see it.  
Tearing the bag we approached the water. The colors swirled when his hand hit the water. At the sight his ear fins twitched.  
“Come on it’s fine. I told ya plenty about Blaster and now he’s giving ya chocolate when I said no. Ya should love him.”  
Ever so slowly he slipped out from his cover in the rocks. He stayed close to the sandy floor as we waited. Blaster was holding his breath as I grinned down at him. His sapphire eyes darted between the two of us. Then he slowly rose up. Blaster slanted his hand so the candy slipped and drifted down to the waiting mer who eagerly ate the treat.  
“He Does like chocolate.”  
“I told ya. We’re gonna have to be careful about carrying candy from now on. Can’t have him snatching it.” I answered as I gave my friend another palmful.  
“No kidding… So how exactly have you kept this a secret all this time?”  
“Well I haven’t really kept it a secret. I just haven’t said anything about it.”  
“Ok how has no one seen him and called the MWPA?”  
“He has a little home he showed me that he goes to during the day. I’ve been feeding him there, but I figured I’d break his trust if I took ya there. I didn’t want him to start shunning me or something. So you’re starting where I started and he’ll show ya when he trusts ya. Then we can go back to that.” I shrugged as my friend held the yellowtail sashimi in the water for the mer.  
Unfortunately an entire bag of m&ms wasn’t enough to gain his trust. He waited until we left before he moved. This process continued for many more days and one kitkat. We’d sit and talk as the mer watched us from the safety of the water. We debated on various things from the calls he made at night to what was going to open up where that construction site was on the east side of town. Then after breakfast a couple of weeks later he started to leave. I jumped up.  
“Yes! Come on, Blaster! Lets go!”  
I was off with Blaster at my heels. Our mer friend glanced at us and I swear he rolled his eyes when we stumbled when we jump off the pier and onto the sand.  
“There it is.” I pointed out to the hole in the cliffside. “We need to crawl through that to get in, but there’s an underwater path he gets through.”  
When we got in our mer friend was waiting for us on his little perch. His gaze neutral as per usual. Well except when I angered him or when he was eating chocolate. Blaster was looking around the small cove with a grin.  
“This is neat. It’s a clever little spot.”  
“And now ya know. This is his temporary home. Where I feed him and talk his ear off And where he stole my m&ms. He digs through my bag every chance he gets I swear.”  
“Well quit carrying things in it that you don’t want him to get a hold of.”  
I just frowned at my friend. We sat on the edge. My friend was examining the mer more carefully now that he could see him clearly.  
“Jazz, he didn’t get those from another animal. I’ve seen plenty of bites and wounds on animals when I go out with Gaven and That right there on his cheek is from a blade.”  
“So ya think someone did this to him on purpose?” I asked, giving my fish friend another look over.  
“Looks like it. Either that or his pod alpha or leader or whatever decided to attack some people over territory and the others followed.”  
“And… do you think that they’re… ya know... “  
“It’s a possibility. If they haven’t come to get him yet it’s likely they’re dead.” Blaster chewed on his lip as he watched the mer.  
“So he’s out there calling for them every night and… aw shit. What happens to mers whose either pod has died?”  
I felt a pang in my chest for the mer in front of us. He was hurt and alone and still hoping that they were still out there and searching for him. No doubt he had been terrified to find he was alone and unable to hunt. I probably nearly gave him a heart attack when I started poking at him. Well at least now he has us.  
“I assume they’d die.”  
“Great…”  
So after all of this he’d go out and die?  
“I mean they herd prey with the help of their pod and certain mer types are very territorial and attack outsiders.”  
“GREAT. What happens if he decides to leave when he’s healed? Should we call the MWPA then? I really don’t want to just do that to him.”  
“I don’t know. I guess we’ll just have to see how things go for now. Maybe his pod is out there and are just as hurt as he is. That’s all we can hope for, for now.”  
I sighed and lowered my head into my hands. We just watched the mer as he had been doing with us. Then I whistled a verse from ‘I Will Follow You Into The Dark’ and the mer perked up, his head turning to the side like a confused dog as he gained a matching expression. Blaster chuckled as I continued with it and the mer watched me with obvious confusion as he twisted his head from one side to the other.  
“You do realize that for all you know you’re just saying random words in his ‘language’ right? You’re just sitting there going Wall! Current! Pufferfish for alpha! Seaweed! And he’s over there thinking you’re an idiot.”  
At that we started laughing.


	5. Chapter 5?! No Way!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prowl gets a new hang out.

Blaster and I had decided that our mer friend needed a place to go during the day. Being trapped in the cove and swimming in a tight circle around the rock wasn’t the best place to swim. There was no room to stretch and the water was only up to our waists if we stepped in. His injuries were healing rather well and it was painfully obvious he needed more space to move. Thus we set off one afternoon in search of a good spot along the shore. A little trekking through some light brush, grass, and some long stretch of beach littered with so many shells our steps crunched no matter where we stepped we found a little place far enough from the town it was unlikely anyone would head out here. The little cape was void of any garbage or evidence that anyone had been around the area. Even if there were some people who came out there were plenty of rocks and patches of seagrass to hide in. So early the following day we coaxed our mer friend out with some m&ms.  
“Come on.”  
We were running along the coast, our mer easily keeping up. We’d give him an m&m every once in awhile to keep him from turning back. However he didn’t appear to be thrilled that we were only giving him one at a time if that glare he gave us every time we threw one was anything to go by. Blaster and I on the other hand were laughing like we were having the time of our lives. Once we got to the slope that separated from the water our mer hesitated, giving out a few quiet sounds as he watched us as he lifted his head from the water.  
“We’ll meet ya on the other side.” I reassured as I made the motion of going around something though he just gave out another noise that sounded suspiciously like a whine. “We’ll call ya if you get lost. I promise.”  
Off we went again. Once we made it to the cape I stuck my hand under the water and snapped my fingers like I did to call him so many times before as Blaster called for him. Thankfully it didn’t take long. All in all the discovery of a safe place with more space had put our friend in a better mood. We’d still feed him in the cove on weekdays, but on the weekends we’d head down to the cape where we’d talk and watch our mer stalk the wildlife there. Either creeping around the rocks or hiding in the seagrass. The fish in the cape were small, but it wasn’t like he needed it to survive with us feeding him. I’d whistle little tunes every once in awhile and Blaster would watch as our mer gave me questioning looks. And one day I had my inspiration. Sunday at ten am I had it.  
“Prowl.”  
“Huh?”  
“That’s what I’m going to call our mer.” I answered as we watched him.  
“Prowl…” Blaster tried out the name. “It fits. You can only hope he thinks so too.”  
“Eh, he’s a fish with-”  
Blaster gave me a mildly disappointed look and I just grinned. “Mammal.”  
“Ok, he’s a mammal with an attitude, but I doubt he’ll care too much what we call him.”  
“Fair enough… Please tell me you haven’t been referring to him as a fish this entire time.”  
“In my defense I assumed so because he lives in the ocean.”  
“So do dolphins.”  
“Oh whatever that’s one example.”  
“Whales.” My friend was grinning smugly now.  
“Shut up, Blaster.”  
Blaster just laughed and I shoved him over onto the beach where he just continued to laugh much to my dismay.  
444444444444444444 Even more fours!4444444444444444444  
“Jazz! Finally! I’ve called you like twenty times!”  
“I’m kind of celebrating my sister's birthday right now.”  
“Oh please you’re in the corner with your headphones eating all the sweets.”  
“I’m outnumbered and last time they locked me out in the backyard and ate all of the cake in front of me because they thought it was funny.”  
“It was.”  
“Blaster.”  
“And it was good cake. Ice cream and oreo.”  
“Blaster!”  
“Ok, ok so I went out with Gaven and you’re never gonna believe what happened.”  
“What did you find a giant squid? Did you fall in?”  
“No. Prowl helped us fish. He herded them into the net. Gaven nearly fell off the boat the way he was leaning over the side. Kept yelling at me to get the camera.”  
“What? Really?”  
“Yeah. He must’ve seen me leaving with Gaven and followed. We got a ton of fish and Gaven even shared some with Prowl afterward.”  
“I bet he was happy to have some live meat for once.” I couldn’t help, but laugh.  
“You have no idea. He seems to be doing much better. I didn’t realize how much those wing fins helped. He can take some pretty sharp turns now that the right one isn’t torn.”  
“Maybe if he can keep helping ya and your stepdad he won’t leave.”  
“Jazz, if his pod comes I doubt he’s gonna stay and settle for a fishing boat. Not exactly a good pod member to befriend and bond with.”  
“And what if they don’t? What if they’re dead? Maybe herding fish for ya guys will be enough to make him stay. I mean that’s basically what he did when he hunted with his pod, right?” I fidgeted in my seat as the girls laughter in the next room erupted.  
“Possibly… But he can’t just stay in the cove.”  
“And why not? If they’re dead he has nowhere else to go. What is he going to do out there alone? I don’t want him to just die out there.”  
“I don’t either, but if he does decide to leave what then?”  
“I don’t know… I just don’t want him to go. I mean we’ve made some great progress. He stopped growling at me. He twitches an ear fin when we call his name. I think we’ve bonded.”  
“I know what you mean, but… Just… Prepare yourself for the worst and hope for the best. Maybe they’ll come.”  
“Is it really that wrong that I kind of don’t want them to?”  
“Maybe, maybe not. I don’t want him to go either, but he misses them.”  
“... Is there a possibility that he could be accepted into another pod? You know if they are dead and he still leaves?”  
“I have no clue. I doubt he’d want another. They’re his family. Pods may mingle from time to time during a breeding season, but I don’t think they join unless they absolutely have to.”  
“So that’s a no.” I let my head fall back in my chair as I blindly reached for another treat.  
“Certain types are different and have different ways. I only have the barest knowledge on mers. For all I know they could be completely accepting of new members.”  
I sighed and silence reigned for a time. In the end Blaster was the one who broke the silence.  
“Sometimes there’s just nothing you can do, Jazz, no matter how much you want to.”  
“I know… See you tonight at the cove?”  
“I’ll be there.”


	6. There's a Sixth Chapter?!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blaster and Jazz take Prowl for a 'walk.'

Things were as normal as they could be when you were hiding a mer that was practically in your backyard. It was a Saturday morning and Blaster had gotten the idea to take our mer for a ‘walk.’ Maybe catch a few fish and what not. As far as we knew Prowl never strayed far from the shallows. Always preferring to stay close to us by the shore. Either watching us and hearing us talk despite not understanding or chasing the small fish around the cape. Within the cove all he did was watch us as he lounged on his rock perch. Occasionally making little sounds in response to us talking to him. A field trip around the coast wasn’t such a bad idea. Not only that, but it would give us a chance to sneak a peek at what was being built on the coast. Rumor was it was some sort of bridge to connect to the other side so that people could just cut across instead of taking the long route finally. That had been a pending request for a long time and I knew my father had been sick of it. He made sure everyone knew when he was unhappy. Thus we borrowed the boat saying we wanted to check out the construction and just sit in the water and what not. Gaven had been in a rather giving mood ever since Prowl began helping him and Blaster fish thankfully. Just so long as we didn’t get into any trouble or somehow get pulled over for something stupid we could borrow it.  
“Come on, Prowl!” I called in the direction of the cove. “The coast is clear, pal, lets go explore a little, huh?!”  
Blaster leaned back in his seat as we watched for our mer friend. A little more encouragement and the brief appearance above the water gave us our answer and we were off. It was a casual pace. Prowl popping up every once in awhile in the form of a black and white blur or flicking tail just hitting the surface of the water. I laughed as he darted about the boat with swift and careful movements. We stopped it a decent distance away from the shoreline. Just enough to make it out, but much to far for anyone to see our mer friend. I leaned over the side to peer into the water.  
“So whatcha think? How’s it feel to be out here?” I asked as he appeared above the water.  
He was as silent as usual as he ducked back under, but I just grinned. Turning back to my friend I took a seat.  
“I think he’s happy.”  
Blaster however just snorted. He leaned on the side of the boat as it rocked with the waves. The sun was warm and the wind soft. A few puffy clouds floating on as our mer just swam around and below us, occasionally making little jumps in which he’d glance at us. Blaster at some point decided to jump in as well. I stayed in the warm and dry safety that the boat provided. I hated getting wet and no amount of goading could get me in that water. Once you get wet you get cold and I hated cold as much as being wet. Your clothes stick to you and it’s uncomfortable. However it was amusing enough to see Prowl playing with my friend. It had started with Blaster splashing him when he swam up and now Prowl was skulking around underwater and randomly popping up to splash water at him while Blaster fruitlessly tried to splash him back.  
“You’re getting your ass handed to ya, Blaster!” I called as I leaned over the side.  
“Like you could do better! I bet he’d kick your ass too!”  
“There is nothing ya can say that’s going to get me in there!”  
“It’s fuuuun!”  
“Yeah because being wet and cold and having my clothes stick to me sounds like a blast!” Came my sarcastic reply.  
“Oh quit being such a baby! Come play with us!”  
“Nope! Nope nope! No!”  
“Jazz!”  
“No!”  
“Jaaazzzzz!”  
“Sorry! Just boarded the nope train to No Waysville! Nope Nope!”  
“Fine! We’ll just have fun without you! Right, Prowl?!”  
I laughed as my friend got splashed again. The few times he did managed to get Prowl came with yells of triumph only for him to get hit again. So far it was an afternoon well spent. So when we took off again it was with large smiles and laughter to come with it. Blaster was soaked and had flicked water at me in a teasing manner when he got back on. I had no clue how he could stand it.  
“Oh there.” Blaster slowed us to a stop when the construction site came into view.  
“Lets see how close we can get.” I whispered like we could possibly get overheard from this distance.  
However the sound of a whimper caught our attention. We turned to our mer friend. His scales were puffing out much like a cat's fur would when threatened and his wing fins were pressed close to his body. Those bright sapphire eyes seemed to be darker as he made an attempt to hide in the water close to the boat.  
“Prowl?” I approached our mer friend. “What is it? What’s wrong?”  
The only response I got was another low whine.  
“I think we should turn around.” Came Blaster’s suggestion and I just nodded.  
With careful movements we turned around. I was making sure we didn’t hit our mer friend in the process.  
44444444444444 The Fours Have Returned!44444444444444  
“What has ya so scared, Prowls?”  
Our mer friend was restlessly circling his perch in the cove. His scales still puffed out and wing fins pulled in close. We had been watching him go around for several minutes since we returned to the cove. I reached my hand into the water.  
“Calm down, pal. You’re safe.”  
My efforts had as much effect as Blasters had. The constant circling was unnerving. Our mer was usually so calm and quiet. We both lay on our stomachs with our arms pillowing our heads as we just simply watched in silence. Then I started whistling. His ear fins twitched, but that was the only reaction I got for awhile. Ever so slowly he looked at us. Then he gradually began to slow as Blaster joined in. His circles widened until he settled below us, as close to the wall of our ledge as possible. His tail curling around him like he was a snake. The tail fin falling over his face as he tucked his arms in close to his chest. I reached down to run a hand over his back. He didn’t so much as twitch as I smoothed the scales down. I sighed slowly. This mer had become another key part in my life. He, whether he knew it or not, gave me something to look forward to. He was a constant presence. Something solid in my life. He was always there. Always waiting for Blaster and I to return. And he was happy to see us and he showed it in his own way with perking wing fins and soft sounds. He was happy to see me unlike my parents who were always working to much to glance at their kids. Unlike my sister who didn't care much what I did so long as it didn't inconvenience her. Unlike all the fake love that roamed the school like a plague. And oh did it hurt to see him like this.  
“Geez, Prowl. What happened to ya?”


	7. I didn't think I'd reach 7...

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prowl refuses m&ms! Gasp!

Prowl hadn’t left the cove in over a week. He didn’t look terrified anymore, but no matter what we did he refused to leave. No amount of m&ms could get him to even approach the mouth of the cove. He was twitchy and now preferred to lay close to the ledge we sat on instead of on his little perch to watch us. We had hoped that he would be fine given time, but so far there was no change for the better. This wing fins would twitch and flick and the low whines had all but stopped to be replaced by tense silence. The calls for his pod at night had ceased and that was the most concerning. We were struggling to figure out what had caused this. He was still eating and he didn’t appear to show an signs of being sick, but then again we hardly knew anything about mers. Things had been going fine before. He seemed fine, happy even. Until we approached the construction site. What about the construction site had scared him so much? No one had been there. It was vacant of any people at the time. It was just concrete and machinery. We had passed plenty of buildings and structures on the way there.  
“I really wish I could talk to ya, Prowl.” I sighed as I traced the long dorsal fin that went along his tail. “Can’t ya do something to give me sign? A hint? Something?”  
Prowl didn’t even look up this time. It really hurt to see him like this. I counted my blessings that he was still eating and listened when we whistled even if it was nothing, but nonsense to him.  
“Ya know we’re both really worried about ya… Come on, pal, look at me. Prowls. Prowler, please. What happened? We can’t help ya if you don’t give us a hint or something.”  
The most I got was a flick of a wing fin, but that wasn’t much when that tended to happen a lot lately. I blew out a sigh through my nose as I traced the fin. There was a soft pulse at the base of it and it was a lot softer than the rest of him. Lighter. Thinner and definitely more fragile than any of his other fins. It was funny in a way. He had guarded these fins and wouldn’t let us near them before and now he just let us touch them without so much as a growl or a glare.  
“What are we supposed to do here, Prowl? We don’t know how to help you.” I spoke more to myself, my voice echoing off the walls of the once warm and friendly cove. “We don’t know much about mers. Blasters the closest you’ve got right now and even he has very limited knowledge. Most he has is warnings of not to go too close to your nests and what not.”  
The sound of the water reigned for a time. Blaster had reluctantly left nearly an hour ago now and I needed to go too very soon. I had school in the morning, but I really didn’t want to leave him. If I was going to ever get up in time to feed him I had to go though. I wasted several minutes just tracing the fin before I drew my hand back.  
“I have to go now.”  
That was when he looked up at me. I felt a pang in my chest. His eyes held a deep sorrow and something else I couldn’t seem to place. I wanted to just lay back down and stay and try to ease whatever pain he was feeling.  
“I’m sorry, Prowl. I’ll be back in the morning, ok?”  
My voice seemed far too loud and I flinched a little. I stood and got a quiet whine. A plea for me not to go. To stay and not leave him alone.  
“I can’t stay. I really wish I could, but I can’t. Just hang on until tomorrow, ok?”  
Another whine followed me out as I practically fled from the cove. I didn’t look back. If I did then I’d see that hurt look and I couldn’t bear it. I couldn't stay. Then came the louder plea as I sped up the beach. The heartbreaking sound pierced the quiet night air like a knife and easily sent another pang ripping from my chest. I knew he was begging me to stay. He needed me and here I was just walking away. Letting him suffer alone. My pace turned into a stride and then to a run as the sounds followed after me. I swore I could still hear it when I closed the door to my bedroom. I clutched at my chest. My heart was pounding and my breathing ragged. I fell face first onto my bed. Why couldn’t I help him? There had to be something I could do.  
444444444444444444 The fours are attacking!Run before they get you!44444444444444

 

It didn’t take much for me to decide on skipping school that day. One call to my father saying I was sick and I had a free pass. All I had to do was scream into my pillow a bit, lay on my back, and lean my head over the side of the bed to get the sound of having a hoarse voice and maybe a little stuffed up. A sniffle now and then and I was home free. It wasn’t the first time and I was sure it wasn’t going to be the last, but this time it wasn’t to ditch a test or even just get a day off from school. It was so I could keep my mer company. Making sure Nat was out of the house I ate a quick breakfast, packed a lunch, and went to grab my mer his breakfast. He was in the exact same place I had left him last night. He looked up at me as I came in. I sat close to the ledge as I pulled my bag into my lap.  
“I told ya I’d be back. I’ll be here all day today. I promise.” I gave him my best smile. “I even got ya your favorite. It was expensive as all hell, but one of the perks to being a richy is not having to worry about cash. Now if only my father didn’t think I needed a part time job I’d have it all. Something about responsibility and what not.”  
I talked on and on as I watched him eat. It wasn’t even near as eager as it used to be. He didn’t even glance up at me when I talked.  
“Ya know sometimes I think ya understand what I say and other times I’m not so sure. But maybe you’re like the cats of the ocean. Ya just don’t care what I say too much. Just want food and a place to stay. Then again at least then ya looked at me when I talked. Now ya just kinda look off into nothing.” I continued on as I held another piece in the water. “If ya keep this up then we’re gonna have to call the MWPA. I don’t want to have to do it, but they’re more fit to help ya then we probably ever will be. Well Blaster will probably be able to eventually the way he’s going, but not right now. He’s got a ways to go yet. So ya feel like listening to music today? I know ya usually don’t seem to mind when I do it, but ya really seem… I don’t know… I think ya need something to focus on and I figured maybe listening to music with me might help a little.”  
I spent the day like that. Leaned against the wall with music playing. I couldn’t tell if it was helping at all, but it was better than silence. Then of course Blaster gave me a disapproving look when he showed up. However he took a seat next to me.  
“You know you have no clue if your music could be irritating to his ears or not.”  
“He’s never complained about it before.”  
He sighed and leaned his head back against the wall. “So you skipped to come here.”  
“Ya didn’t hear him last night. It was worse than normal. I couldn’t just leave him alone all day. Not like this.”  
“I think it’s time we went to the MWPA. If not to tell them then to get some information on mers. Because This,” He gestured to the water. “Is not normal. Even I can tell you it’s not good. He could be dying for all we know.”  
“Don’t say that…”  
There was another round of silence.  
“Blaster, I’ll give ya the cash to grab him dinner. I need to go before Nat gets home. I Am sick today after all.”  
“Yeah, yeah. Just go. I’ll watch him.”


	8. Chapter 8?! We're On A Roll! How Far Can We Go?!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Blaster and Jazz consult the MWPA.

It was a rather tense decision. Not necessarily hard. Our searches at the library on mer illnesses had turned up nothing. Just that we couldn’t help him. When a mer gets ill the other members of the pod guard them and take care of them. Gather deep under water plants for medicine and depending on the illness it varied. And unfortunately being lethargic was a symptom of practically every illness in the book. We knew he needed help. Help that we couldn’t give. It was an obvious choice and despite that we still hesitated. Then we started walking. We Knew this was the right choice. We Knew that they could help him. We Knew that our actions could either save or doom our mer friend. Yet we were stiff, tense, and quiet. It was like we were walking to the gallows rather than a place that could potentially save the life of our friend. I had to keep reminding myself that Prowl needed them. They sure seemed like stuck up know it alls, but they knew what they were doing. They knew practically everything there was to know about mers so far. They could help him. Sure there was the possibility that they could take him away, but if it came to that then at least they could treat him.  
I drew it a breath and let it out though it did nothing to lessen the weight that had firmly made a home in my chest. They could help him. They were going to help him. They were the only ones we could go to. Calm down. They can help him. Nothing bad is going to happen to him if they see him. They knew what they were doing. If they took him away… Dammit. I didn’t want them to take him. I hated not being able to help him myself.  
“We’re doing the right thing… Aren’t we, Blaster?”  
“Yeah.” Came the delayed reply. “We’re doing the right thing.”  
“What if they take him away?”  
“Then they take him away I suppose. Maybe we could ask to see him.”  
The thought of Prowl just not being there was a thought I would rather not entertain. The cove being empty, no Prowl waiting for us to return didn’t sound right. What was I going to do without my mer to feed everyday? What was I going to do without Prowl? He and Blaster were the closest thing to a real family I’d ever had and I couldn’t just lose Prowl.  
“Or we could just not say anything about him. Technically if we don’t confirm that we are hiding a mer they can’t take him. We’ll just have to be more careful on the way to and from the cove.”  
“Jazz, do you really think that’s such a good idea?”  
“If what they tell us doesn’t help or if it’s something we don’t have the power to fix then we can tell them, ok? I just…”  
“I know. I don’t want to lose him either. We can try.”  
The rest of the walk was far too quiet.  
44444444444444444 The Fours March On!4444444444444444

 

The inside of the building was very bland. It was all stone walls and windows. Some cheap chairs around the windows and a simple desk in the center of the room before a set of double doors. It looked like a prison. Now I really didn’t want him to be stuck here. If the front looked like this then who knew what the back was like. With a hesitant glance at each other we approached the desk. The one behind it was fretting about something which wasn’t very encouraging either.  
“Umm…” Blaster tapped the top of the desk making the male whack his head on the underside of the desk before he was able to pop up holding his head.  
“Oh! Hi! I’m so sorry. I’m Ethan, but everyone calls me Aid. I’m filling in for Ella today because she got sick and oh nevermind. How long have you been waiting? What do you need?”  
“We just got here. We just wanted to ask some questions about mers.” I answered carefully as I looked him up and down.  
“Oh sure. Ask away.”  
He had a very friendly smile. Innocent in a way. I hesitated. Could we really do this?  
“Blaster here is wants to become a marine biologist. So what happens to mers who lose their pods?”  
“Lose their pods? Oh you must’ve heard about the destruction of the mer nest nearby, yes?”  
“Huh? Oh yeah. So could ya tell us more about it?”  
“It was a horrible thing to happen. They tore out and destroyed the nest to build that new bridge.” He shook his head sadly. “They attacked the workers to defend their nest, but as I’m sure you know it didn’t go over well.”  
The bridge. Now it made more sense. It was where his nest was. That was why he got so upset. His nest, his home had gotten destroyed and who knew what happened to his pod.  
“D- did any of them survive?” Blaster spoke after a moment.  
“We got a couple of reports some time ago, but we haven’t actually seen them. So far we’ve found four bodies. No sign of the other two, but hopefully they’ve managed so far. We’re still looking though. Keeping our ear to the ground so to speak.”  
“Do you think they will be ok? Ya know, on their own?”  
“Not for an extended period of time. Two mers aren’t an ideal hunting group. However even if they somehow are able to get the food that they need, losing even one pod member is hard enough. It’s devastating because they’re so close. Some never even recover from that. They won’t last long like that. Not after what happened.”  
“Why? What happens?”  
“To make things simple they become depressed. They have a hard time getting over it and tend to linger around the body of a fallen member. However in this case with the area destroyed and the bridge being built they haven’t come back.”  
Oh no… I thought things were serious before. Now things were just getting worse. We had brought him back to his destroyed nest and just confirmed for him that there was nothing left. That his home and his pod were destroyed. No wonder he was acting the way he is. With this information it was a wonder why he didn’t hate us. Yet he had been calling for us to stay. There had to be something we could do.  
“Is there any way we could help them?”  
“And why exactly are you asking that exactly? Because you don’t look like the charity type, kid.”  
“Ratchet!” Ethan yelped. “Don’t be rude to our guests!”  
Despite the mild scolding the older man wasn’t fazed. Blaster shifted beside me.  
“Jazz, maybe we should.”  
We couldn’t just give him up, could we? Ethan or Aid here seemed fine, but this place. Would he be ok here?  
“If you know where they are you need to tell us.”  
“We were just curious. Nothing more.”  
“Oh really? You come around asking about mers and pods months after the incident. If you’re coming here they must be pretty bad off.”  
He spoke sternly. Confident. And I would be lying if I said he wasn’t intimidating as all hell.  
“If you don’t tell us they will die.”  
“Jazz, I think we need to. They know how to help Prowl.”  
The sudden urge to turn around and run came. Prowl needed me, but… I drew in a shaky breath.  
“You’ll take care of him? Nothing will happen to him?”  
“It’s why we’re here, kid. We would never dream to hurt them. You have my word that we’ll do everything in our power to help him.”  
“I want to see the rest of your facility first.”  
I jumped as I got a laugh in reply.  
“Fine, but we’re doing this quick.”


	9. Chapter 9! Yes! The Chapter of Destiny!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Prowl comes face to face with the MWPA.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the delay. My anxiety has been getting the best of me lately. So without any further delay here it is!

Chapter 9  
I had desperately wanted this place to be horrible. To just give me a reason, just one reason to deny that they were fit to take care of him. Something that shouted they weren’t as professional as they claimed. Yet the back of the facility was way better than the front. There was a fully stocked and organized medical room. A practically glimmering kitchen and cooler/ freezer. There were several rooms for extreme cases and quarantined mers. The main areas where the tanks sat the sunlight shone down through a large glass dome. Each one except a select few fixed with plants and rocks from the ocean to add a more homey feeling. The place was perfect. The staff knew exactly what they were doing and the mers present were totally at ease with the staff. I wanted to curse. I never promised anything though. I never said that I’d tell them where he was. I was tempted to just turn around and never come back, but… I couldn’t be selfish. Prowl needed them. Without help he wouldn’t last.  
“Do ya think we could come visit him?”  
“Normally I’d say no, but in this case I suppose I could make an exception. But not without someone watching you until further notice.”  
I huffed. I suppose that was the best I was going to get. I was doing this for Prowl. I yielded.  
“Fine. We’ll show you.”  
One the way there I had to keep reminding myself that this was for Prowl. I couldn’t be selfish. We’d still get to see him. He was going to be fine with them. The free ride to the beach was quiet. This was for Prowl. We weren’t betraying or abandoning him. This was for Prowl. He needed them. We couldn’t help him. This was the only thing that we could do for him. We were close. I drew in a breath and let it out.  
“Stop here. The cove is hidden there.”  
We led them down to the cove where Blaster explained the underwater path that he slipped through.  
“Just the one, huh?”  
“Yep. It’s just Prowl. We haven’t seen another in the entire time we’ve been taking care of him.”  
“Alright lets set up the net barriers. Cliff, Eric, lets go. Do it quickly and quietly. Gale I swear if you rush him I will beat you upside the head.”  
“I got it. I got it. Arcee gives me enough of an earful every time she’s on rescue. If you want quiet and careful then you might want Mirage over there to do it. They don’t call me Blurr for no reason.”  
Eric let out a soft sigh as he continued to assist in setting up the nets. The orange buoys drifted in a semi circle around the cove. The net rose above the water high enough to prevent jumping over due to the support beams attached to the buoys. However Ratchet didn’t bother answering him.  
“Be gentle and careful. We need him out here, but I swear if you put any unnecessary stress on him not only will you get it from me, but I’ll let Arcee and Chromia know as well.”  
“Ouch. I get it. I’ll be careful.”  
With that Gale disappeared into the cove. Blaster and I stood in a tense silence as we watched them work. It was far too quiet as everyone waited. Eric and Cliff waited on both ends of the trap. There was nothing besides the soft crashing of the waves. The two with the protective armor in the water were watching carefully. Was Prowl really that bad off that he didn’t care or have the will to deal with someone unknown entering his home? That thought was thrown out as without warning Prowl shot from the cove like a bullet. He stopped just in time to not run into the net, water churning and twisting around him. Turning fast he made to duck back into the safety of the cove only to find that Cliff and Eric had swiftly brought the two ends together and with an audible click they let it go. He darted about in the trap in search of an escape he wouldn’t find as Gale left the cove with a grin.  
“Well look at that.” Ratchet breathed.  
“What? What is it? Is he ok?” Blaster glanced between our pacing mer friend and Ratchet.  
“You really don’t know what you’ve found, do you?” Gale asked.  
“Uh? A mer?”  
“Yes, but what he means is that your mer is a part of a dying breed. Magis Avium if you want to fall on scientific terms. Winged mers are endangered. Since there is never enough of them to form a pod they’ve been joining with other pods with insufficient numbers. Geminus Avium or the double winged mers have it almost as rough, but they’ve survived in groups of three due to their speed. We haven’t seen one of his kind in years. We were starting to wonder if they were all gone.” Ratchet explained.  
Blaster looked ready to ask another question when the water started to splash violently. Prowl was darting back and forth in an aggressive line and using all of his fins to make the water rock. The buoys and net tipped back and forth as they struggled to steady it. As soon as it tipped low enough he cleared the trap with a timed jump and I nearly laughed at the looks on their faces.  
“Shit!” Eric hissed.  
Prowl popped back up further away. For some reason I felt of a spark of pride. No wonder they haven’t been able to catch him. He was careful in staying out of sight and only appearing at hours where people were scarce and now he was apparently clever enough to escape their traps. He scanned the area before disappearing into the deep water. Prowl never came back.  
444444444444 The Fours Are Planning to Overthrow the Writing Government!444444444  
Needless to say I desperately missed my mer friend and for a while I’d visit the cove from time to time only to find it empty. No bones from the stray fish that got sucked into the current. No shed scales that glimmered under the water. Blaster moved on and eventually I did too. He started volunteering at the MWPA and I followed after a while not wanting to be left alone. I had nowhere to really go. Nothing that caught my eye. No goal to reach. Blaster started working under Percy, the resident zoologist and occasionally Jack. However Jack had a bad habit with things shorting, sparking and lighting fires, and exploding. More or less it was thankful he worked around water. I on the underhand starting working with Eric, Cliff, and Blurr. Eric had the nickname Mirage for basically being as silent as night. Disappearing and reappearing without you really noticing. Cliff adored the underwater plant life and would collect samples for Percy and Ratchet to store or refine to turn into medicine or supplements. Gale was Blurr. Just Blurr and he was a ranger. Patrol the area and be a general look out. First one on the scene with Arcee and Chromia. Ella or Elita as she was called sometimes worked the front desk most of the time, but was more than happy to do field work. Then there was Ethan or Aid. He was one of the main rehabilitators. Assisting Ratchet in treating and working with the mers in the facility.  
What started as volunteer work turned into a part time job as I got out of highschool and then a full time job. I just went where life took me. Took the classes and training I needed. I was still as directionless as I’d always been. I was in the middle of once again wondering if this was what I wanted once again when the reports of the boats around the bridge being attacked came in.


End file.
